The Second Chance
by NamiNavigator
Summary: When Naruto has a second chance at life, what better place to spend it than in Earthland? Although, he seems to get into an awful lot of trouble... NaruxOC.
1. A New World

**Nami: Shower me with love!**

**Patrick: Why?**

**Nami: Becauuuse, this is the second time I have updated a story...TONIGHT!**

**Patrick: Only because you actually got your ass in gear and sat down to write for once.**

**Nami: Look, you may be a figment of my imagination, but I'm damn sure I can still kill you. Hurry up before I do.**

**Patrick: What? Oh, right. *cough, cough* NamiNavigator wants to say that she doesn't own Naruto or Fairy Tail, and also that she's not going to be doing any more proper disclaimers, because she's bored of them.**

**Nami: Meet you at the bottom!**

* * *

"Naruto!" screamed Sakura as Pain thrust a blade through the boy's heart. The man drew back, leaving the katana embedded in Naruto's chest. Naruto stumbled backwards, blood streaming from his chest.

"Naruto!" Sakura screamed again. Naruto could feel his breath getting short. _"Kyuubi?"_ he thought. The beast replied soon after. **"Unless someone gets that blade out of you, I can't heal you. Naruto, I've got a feeling we're going to die here."**

Naruto smiled. _"You know what Kyuubi? I don't care. Not any more." _Naruto fell to the floor. His breath got shorter and shorter. He sighed, and with a last fit of strength pulled the blade from his heart.

"Goodbye…" he whispered.

* * *

Kami swivelled her chair round to face Fate. "Could you explain what just happened?" she asked angrily. Fate nodded slightly.

"Naruto would never have been happy there. Even if Sakura had accepted him and he'd become Hokage, I don't think he'd ever truly be happy."

Kami growled. "So you let him die instead? Nice logic Fate."

Fate frowned. "In fact milady, I had quite a different idea in mind." Kami's ears pricked up.

"Oh? Pray, continue."

Fate coughed, then bowed down slightly.

"Milady, I ask for a boon. I wish to send Naruto to another world for him to start again."

Kami smiled. She had been hoping that, if things hadn't worked out with Naruto, she could send him elsewhere. Admittedly, it had happened differently to how she'd have liked, but it had happened all the same.

"Fair enough then. Where shall we send him? Or rather, to whom? What about to Luffy's universe?"

Fate shook his head."Naruto's a ninja. I don't think he'd cope with becoming a pirate."

Kami frowned."Perhaps you're right. Then… To Ichigo? With the Soul Reapers?"

Fate shook his head again. "I doubt that Ichigo would stop to listen to Naruto explaining about the demon in his belly. Considering his problems with the Hollows."

Kami smirked slightly. "True… What about to Allen and the Exorcists?"

Fate winced. "I think we'd have a similar problem there."

Kami wrinkled her brow. "Fate, we're running out of options here. Hmm… Ah! I've got it. We'll send him to Earthland. What with him dealing with chakra, it shouldn't be so different from magic, right?"

Fate nodded slowly. "Yes… Yes. Naruto will do well there. However, I ask that Naruto keeps his memories. And, his scars." Kami was silent for a while.

"Why his scars?" Fate stood up, pacing around the room slightly. He stopped and turned to face Kami.

"It will be a reminder to him. I think he'll appreciate it some day." Kami nodded.

"Very well then. Naruto will be sent to Earthland." Kami closed her eyes, and a white light began to shine from her. Her hair lifted as if it was in the wind and she started to float off the ground. This lasted only a few moments, then the light faded and she returned to the floor.

She opened her eyes. "Now we shall watch. I hope you were right about this Fate…"

* * *

_X774_

Naruto opened his eyes. "Huh?" he said. "I thought that… I thought I was dead?" He sat up. Naruto inspected his surroundings. _"This isn't Konoha. I don't even think I'm in the Elemental Nations any more!" _he thought.

Naruto got up and inspected himself. The floor seemed closer than normal. Naruto looked into a puddle on the floor. "Oh come on! Why the hell am I 7?!"

On closer inspection, Naruto found that he was only seven years old, but had all the scars he had obtained in recent years.

Looking over himself, he was surprised at how many there really were. There was not a piece of skin that didn't have a scar on or nearby to it. Naruto sat down.

"_Why am I here? I died, I'm sure of it. And now, I'm in a strange world, eight years younger than I should be with all the scars I ever had." _Naruto sighed. He stood up and was about to leave when he felt a huge shadow come over him and a wind ruffled his hair.

Naruto stepped back as a dragon landed in front of him. It was huge, easily bigger than the Kyuubi. It was a smoky grey colour, with lighter shades on its jaw and belly.

It spoke in a quiet voice that echoed through the forest. "What's your name boy?" Even the voice of the dragon sounded like smoke, seeming to curl its way around Naruto.

"M-My name is Naruto, dragon-san. What's your name please?"

The dragon snorted. "My name? Well, since you asked so politely… My name is Kuroda. I am the dragon of elements."

Naruto looked at the beast with awe. Kuroda stared back, inspecting the young child before him.

"_Yes." _he thought. _"He'll do."_ Naruto watched as the dragon rocked back until his weight was on his hind legs.

"Naruto. I'm going to teach you magic. Do you understand? There will be a time when you will leave, because your training will be done. But until then you will stay with me and learn how to use Dragon Slayer magic."

Naruto blinked. "Really? You'd do that… For me?" Kuroda looked at Naruto kindly. The blonde youth was an enigma to him. He was so young, yet littered with scars, and the way in which he spoke marked him as older than he seemed.

"Yes." he replied. "Shall we get started then?"

* * *

_X777_

Naruto took one last look over his shoulder, then continued down the path. It had been a week since Kuroda had disappeared, and Naruto had waited until now for him to return. Since he had not, Naruto had no choice but to leave.

"_Kuroda… Where did you go?"_ Naruto thought as he wandered into town. He was so focused on his thoughts that he didn't notice a short whiskered man in front of him, and bumped straight into him.

The contact broke Naruto out of his thoughts immediately. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going. Are you alright?"

The man dusted himself down slightly. "No, that's ok. I wasn't watching where I was going either." The man looked up and inspected Naruto. "Say, what's your name boy?"

Naruto looked at him, a questioning look in his eyes. "Uh, Naruto sir."

The man chuckled. "There's no need to call me sir. My name's Makarov. Naruto, how old are you? You don't look old enough to be wandering about on your own."

Naruto scuffed his feet on the floor. "Uh, I'm ten. But, I can take care of myself. I'm a mage, see."

Makarov drew a sharp breath, then clapped his hand over his mouth. Naruto seemed confused. "Hey, are you ok Gramps? What's wrong?"

Makarov could not contain himself any longer, and burst out laughing. "You, a mage? Give me a break kid. Sure, in my guild we've got some youngsters, but you look like you've never been in a town before!"

Naruto huffed. "I have too been in a town before. Kuroda-san sent me to town loads of times."

Makarov stopped laughing. "Kuroda? Who's that?"

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "He's my dad." Makarov frowned. _"I'm sure I've heard that name before. Hmm…"_

"Well then, why isn't he with you now? He's a bit of an irresponsible father."

Naruto growled. "Don't ever say anything bad about my dad. He's not here now because he's gone."

Makarov was surprised. "Gone? Where? And why? Why would he leave his son on his own?"

Naruto shrugged. "Like I said, I can take care of myself. As to where and why; who knows? I never want to know what goes through the mind of a dragon."

Makarov coughed, surprised. "Dragon?" he screeched.

Naruto scratched the back of his head again. "Yeah. My dad's a dragon. So what?"

Makarov's mind was racing. _"Kuroda, Kuroda, Kuroda... Wait… Could he be…?"_

Makarov nearly choked as he raced to get his words out. "Kuroda, as in the Elemental Dragon?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah. I'm his dragon slayer. Is that wrong?" Makarov began to tremble slightly.

"Naruto, did Kuroda ever explain the hierarchy of dragons to you?" Naruto chuckled.

"Oh, is that what was bothering you? Don't worry, I know how important he is. But anyway, that doesn't matter any more. He's gone." Naruto's cheery face fell.

Makarov watched the boy carefully. Naruto was young, but the way he spoke and the sadness in his eyes portrayed someone much older. There was something interesting about this boy. Not least that Kuroda, _the_ Elemental Dragon, had decided to train him.

Makarov shifted slightly. He felt quite uncomfortable asking the boy to make such a serious decision so early in his life, but it was necessary.

"Naruto?" the old man asked. "Would you like to join my Guild? It's called Fairy Tail. I think you'd like it there." Naruto brightened up.

"You… You really mean that?" Makarov nodded. Naruto grinned. "Of course! I'd love to!"

Makarov smiled kindly at how energetic the boy had become, considering how down he'd seemed only a few moments before.

"Well then, we'd better get going." Naruto nodded to the guild master.

"Lets."

* * *

_X784_

Naruto walked through the town, noticing a crowd of girls in a circle around a man. Naruto was watching the man carefully. He appeared to be using a type of charm on the girls, and Naruto was pretty sure that magic was forbidden.

Naruto's attention was distracted as he noticed a familiar pink haired dragon slayer come barrelling through the crowd, only to walk away after a few words. He was mildly attacked by a few girls, dragged back, handed something by the man and attacked again, before he staggered onto the street.

The man created a purple flame and flew away, after apparently issuing an invitation to the girls.

Naruto smiled as he noticed one of the girls, who clearly hadn't been affected by the charm go and speak to Natsu. He decided to follow them. He wanted to see how this turned out.

Naruto had followed the two into a restaurant, listening to their conversation. He was trying hard to stop himself from laughing as the girl, who seemed to be called Lucy, patiently explained mages and guilds to Natsu.

Naruto turned his head as he heard a noise. A small silver cat was sitting on the table, looking straight at Naruto. "Something amusing you Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto grinned. "Hi Saki. I'm listening to this girl explain mages and guilds to Natsu. It's funny."

Saki humphed. "Why are you following them?" Naruto scratched the back of his head.

"Why not? I'm bored. Anyway, the girl said that she wanted to join a guild. I'm going to follow her to see if she wants to join Fairy Tail."

Saki smiled sweetly, hopping onto Naruto's shoulder. "Well, then you'd better hurry. She left already."

Naruto did a double take and hurriedly slammed some money down on the table before running out of the restaurant, mumbling curses under his breath. Saki sniggered.

Naruto watched as the girl was fooled by a pseudo charm, but was gritting his teeth at the lies of the man in front of him. "Saki." he whispered. "Isn't that Bora? You know, the one who was exiled from Titan Nose?"

Saki nodded. "What would he be doing here?" she asked.

Naruto shrugged, staring hard at the man. He heard Bora invite the girl onto his ship, promising her that she could join Fairy Tail. Naruto bristled. "If he's coming up with a lie like that to get a girl on his ship, then there's only one reason."

Saki and Naruto spoke at the same time. "Slavers."

* * *

Lucy was terrified. First the man had tried to drug her, then he'd captured her and thrown away her keys. Now, he was approaching her with a burning hot brand to mark her as a slave.

Lucy shrank back as far as possible. She was about to scream for help when something came crashing through the ceiling. It was the boy form earlier, Natsu! He immediately got motion sickness, making Lucy sweatdrop.

"Lucy-chan!" a voice called out. Lucy stared at the hole that Natsu had made in the ceiling of the boat. Happy was flying in the gap. "We have to go now!" He dove down and grabbed Lucy.

She shrieked and said, "What about Natsu?" Happy flew out of the hole.

"I can only carry one person!" Happy shouted. He swerved as members of Bora's crew began to shoot at them.

"Ahhh! Bullets!" screamed Lucy.

"Lucy, listen!" yelled Happy.

"What is it?"

"My transformation effect has worn off." Happy's wings disappeared, and they began to plummet towards the sea, with Lucy screaming her lungs out.

Metres before they reached the ocean, both characters felt a hand on their collars and jolted to a halt in midair.

"You know Happy," a gravelly voice said, "You and Natsu really should plan out your rescue attempts better."

Happy nearly jumped out of the figure's hand with shock and joy. "NARUTO-NII!" he squealed.

Lucy turned her head to look at them man who had saved them. He was quite tall, over six feet. He had blonde spiky hair and bright blue eyes, sparkling with mirth. He also had a silver cat sitting on his left shoulder. His most defining feature was the three whisker marks on each side of his face.

He had a smirk on his face as he watched Natsu struggle to control his motion sickness. Then, he noticed the girl staring at him. He lifted Happy onto his left shoulder, causing the cat sitting on the other one to look away in despair.

Naruto lifted a ring of keys off his belt. "I think these are yours, Lucy-san?" Lucy blushed.

"Uhh… Thank you. Excuse me, is Natsu alright?" Naruto looked back at the ship.

"Oh, right. Guess I'd better do something about that. Hold on." Naruto threw Lucy onto his back, where she grabbed hold with a death grip. The teenager grimaced.

"A little less tight please." Lucy loosened her grip slightly. "Thank you. Now, **Suiton: Tsunami!**"(Water Style: Tidal Wave).

A huge wall of water crashed down behind the ship, sweeping it to the shore. Once the ship had beached, Naruto began to fly towards the shore. "We'd better get there quickly before Natsu destroys the entire town."

Lucy tapped his shoulder. "Um, are you sure Natsu's okay? He's up against a mage. From Fairy Tail too!"

Naruto chuckled. "First, that imposter isn't from Fairy Tail. Trust me. And, didn't Natsu tell you? He's a mage. He…"

Naruto stopped, hovering above Natsu spewing flame at a horrified Bora.

"…Is the _real_ Salamander." Lucy gaped. Naruto whipped his head round as he heard shouting. "Oh, crap. Time to go."

"Natsu, come on! Let's go!" Natsu whipped his head around, looking confused.

"Naruto-nii? What are you doing here? Did you do the tidal wave thingy?"

Naruto hooked Natsu's scarf. "We'll talk later. Now, we run. The local guards want to talk to you about destroying half their port."

Natsu frowned. "Hey, you helped!" Naruto grinned.

"True. Would you like to explain that to the guards then?" Natsu yelped.

"No! Thank you!" Naruto stopped grinning, pointing his shoulders in the direction of Fairy Tail.

"Hold on tight guys. I haven't cut loose in a while." Natsu paled. He tried to wriggle out of Naruto's vice-like grip, and failed. Naruto grinned once more, shouting to the world as he zoomed into the distance with his cargo.

"**Futon/Raiton: Arashi no sokudo!"** (Wind/Lightning Style: Storm Speed)

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOO!"

* * *

Mirajane squinted out the window at an approaching dot in the sky that was rapidly growing in size. She paled slightly, and ran to pull a lever. A claxon rang out and the town began to rearrange itself into a straight road with buildings on either side.

Makarov approached the white-haired beauty. "So? Naruto or Gildarts?" he asked. Mira shook slightly.

"Naruto. To my knowledge, Gildarts can't fly, and he's more responsible than Naruto. Plus, I think Natsu and Happy are there too."

Makarov chuckled. "Break out the buckets. Anyway, it's good to see Naruto back. I know you and your siblings were missing him."

Mira smiled slightly. "Everyone has. He's been gone for nearly three months now. I wonder where he picked up Natsu though."

"Maybe in Hargeon Town. Isn't that where Natsu went?" Makarov jumped towards the door. "Anyway, I want to speak to Natsu and Naruto. Apparently a port was destroyed in Hargeon Town, and I doubt that the bogeyman did it."

Naruto continued to shout with joy, ignoring the screams from Natsu, Happy and Lucy. Saki sniffed. "Must you do this?"

Naruto stopped yelling. "Hey, it meant we got home faster. I haven't seen the guys in three months. Cut me some slack here, okay? Anyway, we're back."

Naruto stuck his feet out in front of him, crashing down on the now straightened street. He skidded all the way to the door of the guild, using his feet as brakes. Then he pushed the door open. Makarov was standing in front of him, smiling wryly.

"Welcome back." Naruto grinned. He fished Happy off his shoulder and placed Natsu on the ground. The pink-haired dragon slayer moaned, looking extremely ill. Naruto then pulled Lucy off his back and gently sat her in a chair. She looked quite dizzy, but was otherwise unharmed.

Makarov sighed. "What did you do in Hargeon?"

Naruto grimaced. "To be fair, it was mostly Natsu."

Makarov shook his head. "Who's the girl?"

"Her name's Lucy. She's a celestial spirit mage, and she wanted to join Fairy Tail. So, she sort of got swept along."

Lucy groaned. "Kidnapped more like. What the hell was that?" Mirajane immediately flashed to her side.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail Lucy! Now-" Mirajane was cut off by Natsu sitting up and roaring.

"Naruto you idiot! You know I hate that!" Natsu launched himself at Naruto, only to be caught in one hand and thrown into the crowd, unfortunately landing on Gray.

Natsu growled and started a fight, everyone around joining in. Naruto and Makarov stood back, grinning. "Well?" asked Naruto.

Makarov smirked. "When they start using magic. They need to let off some steam. I think everyone missed you Naruto." Naruto grinned.

The smile rapidly disappeared as he noticed everyone preparing to use their magic. He turned to Makarov. "Rock, paper, scissors!" Naruto held out a clenched fist, while Makarov held out a flat hand. Naruto cursed under his breath.

"I always lose! I swear the old man cheats." Naruto held his hands up and shouted, "**Suiton:**** Kūrudaun!**" (Water Style: Cool Down).

A sheet of water covered the mages, who began to gasp for breath. Naruto released the spell. "Okay, everyone quite finished? Thank you. Master would like to speak now."

Makarov began by jumping over to Lucy, who had just gaped throughout the entire fiasco. "Hello` new girl. Nice to meet you".

Makarov jumped onto the railing of the second floor. "Now, you idiots better listen up! Look at these documents from the council!" Makarov held up a bunch of papers.

"Gray. Good job on sweeping out the smuggling organization, but you walked around town naked afterwards, and ran away after stealing underwear that was being dried."

Gray blushed.

"Elfman. You had a mission to escort a VIP, but you assaulted him during the mission."

Elfman scratched his chin. "He said men were all about education."

"Cana Alberona. Drinking 15 big barrels of alcohol and charging it to the council."

Cana giggled. "So they found out about that. Oops."

"Loki… Flirting with council member elder Reiji's granddaughter."

"And Natsu… You destroyed the Devon Thief Family, but also destroyed 7 other houses that belonged to the townspeople… Levelling a historical clock tower in Tully Village… Burning down a church in Freesia… Damaging parts of Lupinus Castle… Nazuna Ravine Observatory collapsed and thus stopped its operations… Destroying half of Hargeon's port…"

Natsu growled. "Hey, Naruto helped!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

Makarov shook his head. "Alzack, Levi, Kulov, Reedus, Warren, Visca, etc…Guys, the council members are angry at me all the time… But… Forget about the council members."

Makarov lit the documents on fire and chucked them away, though they were quickly retrieved and eaten by Natsu.

"Listen up. The power to overcome reasoning is born from reasoning. Magic is not a miracle. When the 'spirit' flows within us and the 'spirit' flow in nature connects, they will form an embodiment for the first time. You will need a strong mentality and a lot of concentration for that. I mean, pouring your soul into whatever you do is the magic."

"If you keep worrying about the watchful eyes of the higher ups, your magic won't improve. Do not fear the fools of the council. Do whatever you think is right! That's the way of the Fairy Tail mages!" This was received with loud cheers from everyone.

"Now, I propose a party to welcome back Naruto!" Everyone who hadn't greeted Naruto crowded round to see him.

Lucy tugged on Mirajane's arm. "Umm, who is Naruto? I haven't heard of him before, but he seems to be very important."

Mira laughed. "Oh, sorry, I forgot you were new. Naruto uses a mask and a different alias outside of the guild. Go and ask him. He won't bite!"

Lucy laughed shakily, and approached Naruto. He turned to her with a smile. "Yes?"

Lucy shook. "Umm, Naruto-san, who's your alias?" Naruto beamed and fished a mask out of his pocket. He hooked it onto his face.

The mask covered his entire face, with two eyeholes. It was a grey mask, with white and black swirls forming a whirlpool of the two colours. Lucy gasped.

"Can you guess now?" asked Naruto. Lucy nodded.

"You're the Grey Maelstrom!" Naruto giggled like a little child.

"I bet you thought that I was some newbie who hadn't made a name for himself yet." Lucy blushed.

"No, that's-" Naruto held up a hand.

"Don't worry. Come on, we have a party to enjoy!"

* * *

"So you were called Salamander in other towns Natsu? True, that would suit your magic well."

Natsu didn't say anything continuing to eat his meal of fire.

Lucy put her hand on the table.

"You want it there?" asked Mirajane.

"Yes!" Mira stamped it down.

"There. Now you are a part of Fairy Tail."

"Wow!" said Lucy. Naruto dashed past Natsu, stealing a morsel of his food. Natsu ignored him.

Naruto slid into a seat next to Lucy, munching on the burning snack. Lucy gaped. "Um, how come you can eat that? You're not a fire dragon slayer like Natsu, are you?"

Naruto laughed. "Nope! But I am a dragon slayer." Lucy nodded.

"I have a few questions. Number one is: Why does Natsu listen to you? And the second is: What type of dragon slayer are you?"

Naruto smiled. "I'll answer them in reverse order. It's simpler. I'm an elemental dragon slayer. And as to why Natsu listens to me…"

-Flashback-

_X778 (Soon after Natsu joined Fairy Tail)_

"_Naruto, what type of dragon slayer are you? Huh?" Natsu poked Naruto._

_Naruto growled slightly. "Shut up! If you're desperate to know, I'm an elemental dragon slayer. Happy now?" Natsu gasped and backed away. His next action surprised everyone._

_Natsu dropped to his knees and bowed his head. "My apologies for my rudeness Naruto-sama. I had no idea."_

_Everyone was flabbergasted. Natsu, kneeling? They rushed to Naruto for an explanation._

_Naruto sighed and began to explain. "There is a strict hierarchy in the dragon world. Most dragons are soldiers, like Igneel. They are at the bottom of the pyramid. At the top is the Dragon King. He rules every dragon. Acnologia, the Void dragon, is his exiled brother. He was exiled for killing a Dragon Princess."_

_Everyone looked confused. "In between the Dragon King and the soldiers are the Dragon Princes and Princesses. In the current times, there used to be two princes and one princess. The princess's name was Chiharu. Acnologia grew jealous of the princes and princess, as they would gain the throne before he did. So he killed the princess."_

"_Acnologia was exiled, but the brothers of the princess were soaked in grief. They believed that if they had trained a dragon slayer, like some of the soldiers, they might have had the power to save their sister. So, the two brothers, who were called Kuroda and Koizumi, decided to train a dragon slayer."_

"_Only Kuroda found a human worthy of becoming his dragon slayer. Koizumi is still looking to this day. I became Kuroda's dragon slayer. All of the soldiers who Kuroda ruled knew how important this new dragon slayer was, and instructed their own dragon slayers that if they were ever to meet this person, they were to show respect. The same as any human would show respect to any prince in their country."_

-Flashback End-

Lucy nodded. "So Igneel was under Kuroda's rule."

Naruto nodded. "All the elemental dragons are. Any material dragons, like the iron dragon, would come under Koizumi's rule. However, they would still have to show respect."

Lucy nodded. Then another thought occurred to her. "How can you eat fire then?"

Naruto laughed. "I can eat any one of the eight elements I control."

Lucy gaped (Again). "What are they?"

"Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Poison and Lightning. There are actually two more elements. Once I master Light and Darkness, I can summon Shadow magic. Once I master all nine, I can unlock the tenth."

Lucy looked at him with big eyes. "Gonna tell me what it is?" Naruto laughed and shook his head.

Lucy frowned. Naruto stood up and stretched his legs and arms. Natsu finished his meal and headed to the request board. Natsu was picking out a job when he heard Romeo, the son of one of the senior mages, have an argument with Makarov and storm out. Natsu punched the request he'd picked up back into the board and ran out the door.

"Master, Natsu's gonna do something bad…" Nab said.

Makarov frowned. "I know, but leave him to it. He needs it."

Lucy frowned. "What was that about?"

Mira smiled and answered her. "Natsu had a father in his dragon. He had the one person he loved disappear. He doesn't want that to happen to Romeo. That is Fairy Tail. Everyone here… They are all carrying something… Wounds… Pain… Suffering… And Naruto carries more than everyone else." The last sentence was said so quietly that Lucy almost didn't hear it. Almost.

She frowned.

Naruto, who had been patiently listening to Mira explaining the situation, also heard the final sentence. He stood up abruptly, causing Lucy to flinch. Mira turned away. Naruto swept out of the guild and ran into the distance.

Naruto ran to the nearby forest, where he immediately began to punch the ground. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." he mumbled. Naruto stood up and expelled a large wind from his body. Once he'd finished, he sat down and began to meditate.

* * *

Lucy was bored. She'd finished the 'mission' with Natsu, and Macao was now back in the guild and recovering, but she couldn't get what Mirajane had said out of her head. What did she mean when she said Naruto carried more?

Lucy stamped her foot. She would go and find Naruto and ask him herself. Even if he did scare her a bit…

Lucy had heard Makarov telling Mirajane to leave Naruto in the forest for now. With that information in mind, Lucy headed towards the forest.

Lucy crept through the forest. She could see a figure sitting on the floor in a small clearing up ahead. As Lucy approached, she became slower and slower. Lucy crept right up to Naruto's side, and tapped him on the shoulder.

Suddenly, Lucy found herself on the ground with a blade at her throat. She did the only thing possible in the situation. She screamed.

Mirajane jumped as she heard Lucy's scream. "_Crap!_" she thought. "_I forgot to warn her about Naruto!_"

She dropped the tray she was carrying onto a table and ran to where she knew Naruto would be.

Naruto panted as he held a blade over his attacker's throat. She screamed. Naruto sat up slightly, surprised. He shook his head, clearing his vision. As he saw who it was, Naruto hurriedly jumped off her and offered her a hand up.

Lucy shakily took the proffered hand and Naruto pulled her to her feet. Lucy brushed herself down. "Why did you attack me?" she asked.

Naruto frowned. "Didn't Mira or anyone warn you not to disturb me when I'm meditating?" he said. Lucy shook her head.

Naruto sighed. "Well, I thought you were attacking me. Everyone in the guild knows not to disturb me when I'm like that, because I run on instinct, and don't think about what I'm doing."

Lucy ducked her head. "Sorry."

Naruto smiled. "Don't worry. It wasn't your fault. Now, what was it that you wanted?"

Lucy blushed. "Umm… I… I wanted to ask you about why Mirajane said you carry more than most."

Naruto grimaced. "She shouldn't have said that. I'll tell you a little, but only what most people know. I have a very dark past. I wasn't a really happy person when I came. I lost my father when I was ten. My dragon father, that is. I had already lost my real parents." Naruto was going to continue when he heard a noise.

Mirajane came crashing through the forest, breathing heavily. She ran to Lucy and hugged her. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. "I completely forgot to tell you not to disturb Naruto! Are you okay?"

Naruto grinned. "She's fine Mira. Anyway Lucy, now you know a little bit about me. I've got to go now."

Mirajane coughed. "Naruto, since you made me run all the way out here, I think I should have something in return."

He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Like what?" Mira grinned evilly.

"A piggyback."

Naruto shook his head. "No. Definitely not."

Mira pouted. Then she smirked a little, ran and jumped onto Naruto's back. He tried to shake her off but she latched onto his neck. Not enough to restrict his breathing, but still enough for her to stay on.

Naruto sighed, but consigned himself to his fate and began to trudge back. Lucy tagged along beside him. They stayed silent for a while until Lucy spoke again.

"Don't you mind?" she asked. Naruto frowned.

"Mind what? Mira? She's not that heavy." This comment earned him a soft punch from the formerly named girl who was perched on his back.

Lucy shook her head. "No, I meant people always asking you about your past. Doesn't it annoy you?"

Naruto smiled and shifted Mira on his back. "Not really. I took the option not to tell people, so it was always going to be a possibility. There's only two people in this world that know my entire past, and one of them is my father."

Lucy glanced at him curiously. "Who's the other?" she asked. Naruto grinned foxily and tapped his nose, nearly dropping Mira in the process.

The white-haired girl squealed and whacked Naruto around the head. "Sorry." he said. Then he grinned evilly. "I think we should be getting back, don't you Mira?"

Mira looked confused, unable to see Naruto's face from her viewpoint. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm sure there are customers to serve. So we'd better get you back where you're needed."

Naruto took one step backwards, then began to run as fast as he could, streaking past Lucy wjile yelling, "BYE LUCY! SEE YOU BACK AT THE GUILD!"

Lucy sweatdropped at the screaming coming from Mirajane, and simply shook her head and muttered to herself. "I really don't get that guy."

* * *

**Nami: Sooooo, cause I was so nice and updated this just for you, you know you want to review. Right?**

**Patrick: I really encourage this. It makes her happy. Trust me, that is miles better than her being angry, sad, or anything that's not happy. So, please, please review. For my sake.**

**Laxus: Please review. She might let me out of the cage.**

**Nami: BUT YOU'RE TOO COOL! I CAN'T LET YOU GO!**

**Patrick: T_T Please review. She may rethink letting him out.**

**Nami: ^_^ Have a nice day.**


	2. Naruto's House

**Nami: Yo!**

**Readers: *hiding pitchforks and torches behind their backs*  
**

**Patrick: I think it would be beneficial for your health if you updated more often.  
**

**Nami: Yeah, I agree. Anyway, this is a bit of a short chapter, but it's sort of a filler before the next main arc. YAYS!  
**

**Patrick: NamiNavigator would like to say that she owns nothing but her sanity- wait, did you write this?  
**

**Nami: YEP!  
**

**Patrick: Okay, I can confirm that NamiNavigator _has_ no sanity, so she officially owns nothing. Especially not Naruto or Fairy Tail.  
**

**Nami: I STILL OWN YOUR ASS YOU DAMN LEPRECHAUN!  
**

* * *

When they got back to the guild, Mira was looking decidedly more green than she been before. Naruto let her down very gently. He was just creeping away when (unfortunately for him) Mira recovered and called out to him in an ever-so-sweet voice.

"Oh Naruto! Come and give your sister a hug, hmm?"

Naruto turned around slowly. He smiled at the girl.

"Uh, not now Mira, I have to..." Mira cut him off.

"Nonsense! There's always time for a hug, right?" She smiled evilly and began to approach Naruto. He hurriedly backed away, before breaking out in a run with Mira following close behind.

"Get back here you damn brat!"

The entire guild broke out in laughter at the two's antics. Lucy walked into the door as Naruto ran out.

"Hey Lucy!" The girl moved to the side as Mira ran past as well.

"Just you wait until I get hold of you!"

Lucy sweatdropped and turned to the others.

"Shouldn't someone help him?" Everyone suddenly seemed to be very busy with what they were doing.  
"Lucy, I think you need to remember. Hell hath no fury like Mira when she's mad."

Lucy turned round to see a young white-haired girl. She smiled and stuck out her hand.

"Hey. I'm Lisanna, Mira's little sister. I don't think we've met."

Lucy smiled back and took the proffered hand.

"No, we haven't. It's nice to meet you."

Lisanna waved for her to sit down.

"Naruto-nii and Mira-nee like to play around a lot, but they're really just like brother and sister."

Lucy gaped. "Really? I thought that maybe there was... Um... They were..." She blushed ferociously. Lisanna laughed.

"Oh no. There's nothing like that going on. Although a lot of people seem to think that when thy first meet them. But no, Naruto's heart lies elsewhere."

Lucy brightened up immediately. "Ooh, who, who?" Lisanna giggled and tapped her nose.

Lucy frowned. "Did you pick that up from Naruto? Because I distinctly remember something like that happening just a few minutes ago."

The youngest Strauss sibling grinned and nodded. "Yep! He taught me loads of stuff like that. It's really good to annoy people."

"Like you're not annoying enough already. I'm really starting to regret it."

Lisanna and Lucy turned round to see a battered Naruto standing behind them.

"Hey Naru-nii! She got you huh?" Naruto winced and nodded. "Well, Cana's at the bar, and I'm sure she's up for a drinking contest."

Naruto brightened at this and headed to where the card user would be. Lisanna tugged on Lucy's arm. "Come on, you'll want to watch this. We thought Cana could hold her drink till Naruto came along."

The entire guild had already heard that there was another drinking contest, and the betting pool had already started. A blue-haired girl named Levy rushed around, taking bets and letting everyone know the odds.

She reached Lisanna and Lucy and smiled. "Hey guys. Anything to bet? Cana's on 2-1, Naruto's on 4." Lisanna giggled.

"They never learn do they. I'll bet 200J on Naruto please." She handed over the money and Levy noted it down. She smiled and ran off.

The contest started in a shower of rainbow sparks, courtesy of Levy's solid script. The two contestants began to glug down whole barrels of alcohol, all the while being cheered on by their supporters.

Lucy gaped as they both downed their 16th barrel. "Are they ever going to stop?" she whispered to Lisanna. The girl giggled.  
"Sure. Cana's good, but she doesn't normally get far past 17 barrels. Naruto holds the record for the most barrels of alcohol ever drunk in one sitting."

"Oh? How many?"

"32."

Lisanna snickered at the gobsmacked look on Lucy's face and turned back to the contest. True to what she had said, Cana was slowing down. She drained the last few drops in her barrel and slammed it down heavily next to her.

"That's *hic* it. I'm done *hic*." Naruto's supporters cheered as the boy finished yet another barrel. Levy shouted out the results. "Naruto wins at 20 barrels to 18! Anyone who betted on Naruto, come collect your winnings!"

Naruto rose out of his seat and stumbled over to Lucy and Lisanna. "Hey. I... I think I need to sit down again..."

Lisanna giggled and helped Naruto into a chair. "Naruto, did you drink at all while you were away? Normally you can go to more than this before you start getting tipsy." Naruto shook his head.

Lucy tapped Lisanna's shoulder.

"Hey, what was Naruto doing before he came back? All I know is that he was gone for ages."

Lisanna smiled.

"Actually, I don't know either. He was on an S class mission, but I don't know what he was doing. He doesn't normally tell people what his missions are about."

Lucy frowned. Lisanna smiled affectionately at Naruto and the look on his face.

"Naruto, I think we should get you back to your house. Okay?" Naruto just nodded.

"Levy! We're gonna need your help!"

The blue-haired girl ran over, grinning cheekily. "Sure! Naruto again?"

"Yep. I can get him to his house, but not into it."

Lucy followed with a thought in her head. 'Not into it?'

* * *

After half-leading, half-dragging Naruto to the forest, Lisanna stopped at the bottom of a particularly large tree. Lucy looked up and saw a wooden house nestled between the branches.

"Okay Levy, do your thing!"

Levy grinned and wrote the word 'float' in the air. She chucked Naruto on and clambered up beside him. "Okay Lisanna, you and Lucy-chan can go now! I can deal with him by myself." Lisanna smiled at the blue-haired girl and dragged Lucy away.

"Come on Lucy. I bet you haven't been shopping yet, and I have some extra cash to spend after betting on Naruto-nii."

Lucy willingly followed. She really needed some stress relief.

* * *

A few days later, everything was normal in the guild again. Lucy and Natsu had just returned from their mission and were talking to their friends. Naruto and Natsu were happily chatting away, and Happy and Saki were sharing a pile of fish that Naruto had collected from the river nearby. Lucy was talking with Lisanna about her lack of money. Lisanna just laughed.

"Well, you'd better choose a job soon. Otherwise, the good ones might go."

Suddenly, there was a huge crash. Clearly, Gray and Natsu had gotten into a fight again. Instead of stopping them, Naruto was watching from the side, occasionally shouting out stupid remarks. Loki, who had just run off after trying to flirt with Lucy came running back in like the devil was following him.

"Uh, Natsu, Gray, you might want to stop."

Everyone watching the fight turned to the womanizer. "Erza's back."

Naruto nearly fell off his chair. A muffled, "Oh shit.", could be heard. Then he jumped up and went to hide behind the bar.

"Mira, if you love me at all, you'll tell her I'm on a mission." Mira grinned evilly.

"Sure Naruto."

A huge shadow appeared in the door and a figure walked in. She was wearing a suit of armour and carrying a huge horn. Someone asked what it was. "It's a token of gratitude. I killed a monster, so the villagers decorated it's horn for me. Is there a problem?"

"NO!" was shrieked back.

Erza looked at Mirajane. "Is the master here?"

"No. He's at the meeting."

"Very well. Anyway, master will forgive you for some things, but I will not. Cana, that is not an appropriate drinking position. Vijeeter, dance outside. Nab, pick a job already. And where are Natsu and Gray?"

Happy pointed to the two mages.

They were now hugging each other grimly and sweating furiously. As she spoke with Erza, ucy asked Mira what was happening.

"Well, Natsu was beaten when he challenged Erza to a fight. Erza beat up Gray when she saw him going around naked. Loki was nearly killed when he flirted with her."

Erza finished her discussion with Natsu and Gray and turned to Mira. "Is Naruto here?"

Mira grinned. "He's hiding, behind the bar."

"MIRA YOU EVIL WITCH!" Naruto jumped out of his hiding place and began to run out of the guild, but was yanked back by Erza grabbing his jacket.

"This is just payback for early my dear Naruto." Mira sniggered at the grim fate of the blonde.

Erza drew Naruto towards her with a glint in her eyes.

"So, Naruto. How have you been?"

"Uh, good I guess. Look, I have to go now so-UURK!" Erza constricted his throat slightly with a smile on her face.  
"But Naruto! You owe me a cheesecake, remember? A big one! You promised..." she ended darkly.

Naruto nodded vigorously. "Yep! And I will give it to you tomorrow. I promise."

Erza dropped him with a smile. "Good. Now that that's sorted out, come here." She drew Naruto in for a hug. "I haven't seen you for ages! We always seem to be doing missions at the same time as each other." She dropped Naruto to the floor again.

"That reminds me. Natsu, Gray. I want you two to come on a mission with me. I need some extra insurance that this will be a success."

Mira gaped. "Wow. Erza, Natsu and Gray. This could be the best team ever to come out of Fairy Tail!"

Erza then turned to Naruto. "Now, since I haven't seen you for ages and I don't actually trust these two to do the job without breaking something, you can come too. That way, we can catch up!"

Mira went weak at the knees and had to lean on the bar. "Scratch what I just said. This is now **the** best team to come out of Fairy Tail. And it's kind of overkill..."

* * *

**Nami: Yeah, so I'm going with shorter chapters now, but they should be updated faster.**

**Patrick: I like Erza. She's cool.  
**

**Erza: Thank you Mr. Leprechaun.  
**

**Patrick: ?  
**

**Nami: Okay! I hope you enjoyed it, please review and I hope to see you soon! ^_^ Have a nice day.  
**


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